This invention relates to synergistic combinations of sweeteners including D-tagatose for use in beverage and food formulations. D-tagatose, in even very small amounts, is a powerfull synergizer for potent sweeteners. Further, it is able to effect improvements in the quality of taste of the edible products in which it is used.
D-tagatose is a well-known keto-hexose which is useful as a reduced calorie food sweetening and bulking agent, and as an additive in detergent, cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulations. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,002,612 and 5,078,796 to Beadle et al. teach processes of making D-tagatose by isomerizing a mixture containing D-galactose with a metal hydroxide in the presence of a catalyst at a relatively low temperature to form an intermediate complex, followed by neutralizing with acid to yield D-tagatose.
D-tagatose is known as an anti-hyperglycemic agent that can be used to inhibit formation of advanced glycosylation in products in mammals as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,356,879 and 5,447,917 to Zehner et al. D-tagatose also is known as a low-calorie carbohydrate sweetener, and bulking agent that can be used in the preparation of sweetened edible formulations as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,722 to Zehner. Specifically, D-tagatose has been suggested as the sole sweetening agent, or in combination with conventionally used sweetening agents, e.g., a combination with a minor amount of sucrose. Furthermore, it has been proposed to use D-tagatose as a bulking and sweetening agent in combination with an intensive sweetener such as aspartame or saccharin. If D-tagatose were used as the only sweetener for edible products, its use levels will never be in the 5% range, probably rarely under 8% and often 10% or more. If D-tagatose were used as a bulking agent for low calorie sweeteners, the use level will be over 15% in bakery products and frozen dairy products, more than 20% for chocolate and 50% for candies. U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,722 does not teach the use of D-tagatose for the sensory impact it has on potent sweeteners.
The use of low calorie sweeteners, such as potent sweeteners, in a variety of food products is common place in food and beverage formulations. For many consumers, however, products marketed as diet or light versions of products that are artificially sweetened are not preferred. Attempts have been made over the years to improve the taste delivery of these diet or light products through the addition of small quantities of carbohydrates. Diet beverages may, on occasion, contain small quantities of fructose added to improve the taste delivery. These products generally contain approximately 1 percent fructose. Other products, particularly in Japan, may contain erythritol as an additive to improve other qualities of the food or beverage product beyond its sweetness. For example, other sensory characteristics of a food or beverage product include the flavor, mouthfeel and aftertaste of the product. Efforts have been made to add specific small molecular weight carbohydrates to diet or light beverages in an attempt to improve the sensory delivery.
One of the sensory limitations of xe2x80x98dietxe2x80x99/xe2x80x98lightxe2x80x99 beverages often expressed by consumers is the lack of xe2x80x98bodyxe2x80x99 or xe2x80x98mouthfeelxe2x80x99 that they deliver relative to their xe2x80x98regularxe2x80x99, sugar/high fructose syrup, sweetened equivalents. The full calorie products are perceived as having a full, syrupy, smooth mouthfeel. Diet products are often described as being thin and xe2x80x98wateryxe2x80x99. In attempting to overcome this deficiency, some formulated flavors are commercially available which are said to deliver a more sucrose like taste profile to diet beverages, and some sweeteners, particularly neohesperidin dihydrochalcone and the sweet protein thaumatin are said to deliver enhanced mouthfeel at low addition levels.
Efforts are continuing to identify a low-calorie sweetener to deliver sucrose-identical sensory characteristics in edible food products, and particularly with respect to beverages. Low-calorie potent sweeteners generally permit the development of diet or light products through an ability to elicit sufficient sweetness at a very low concentration of the sweetener, but they are generally unable to mimic other sensory characteristics of sucrose, particularly mouthfeel/body. In addition, artificial sweeteners to date have not been able to deliver the full, rounded, sweetness typical of sucrose and other small molecular weight carbohydrates. Accordingly, there is a continuing need to identify a low-calorie sweetener that provides both the sweetness characteristics of sucrose and other important sensory characteristics such as mouthfeel, flavor, and aftertaste.
It has now been found that D-tagatose is not only able to effect improvements in the quality of food and beverage formulations, particularly in diet/light beverages, but that its use is synergistic with potent sweeteners. The synergistic effect of D-tagatose with potent sweeteners is present even at very low addition rates. The use of D-tagatose is able to replace significant quantities of potent sweeteners, even when it is added at concentrations well below its measured sweet taste threshold.
Not only does the use of D-tagatose have benefits in diet or light beverages from a synergy standpoint, other important qualitative benefits from the use of D-tagatose can be realized in these types of products. Subtle, but consistent, benefits have been observed through the use of D-tagatose with respect to flavor, aftertaste, and mouthfeel of beverages containing as little as 0.2% D-tagatose.
The benefits of the use of D-tagatose with one or more potent sweeteners can be realized with concentrations of D-tagatose of about 0.01 to about 5% weight/volume based on the total composition. The amount of potent sweetener in the total composition will typically range from about 5 ppm to about 4000 ppm (mg./kg. of total composition) depending on the sweetener used. The weight ratio of D-tagatose to potent sweetener in the sweetener composition according to the present invention ranges from 1:5 to 10,000:1. The particular ratio selected is dependent on the potent sweetener(s) used and the desired level of sweetness and other sensory characteristics. The use of D-tagatose also has been shown to provide benefits as a component in table-top sweetener formulations containing a potent sweetener.